The Sufi Path is a process of amanesis (remembrance, realization). In pre-eternity, God asked the spirits: Alastu bi Rabikum (Am I not your Lord)? When we come into this material existence, we forget about pre-eternity and the task of life is to remember our way back to the truth concerning the nature of our essential relationship with God. This process of remembering or recollecting is known as amanesis.

Tuesday, March 29, 2005

Dogmatism, Truth, Validity + The Sufi Path - Part 2

In relation to dogmatism, people's understanding is conceptually, rather than experientially (in the mystical sense), driven. The former individuals are convinced their understanding of things is correct not because the Truth has experientially visited them and shown them how things are, but because their ego demands that things be such and because their belief or value systems satisfy certain emotional, ideological, behavioral, habitual or vested interests.

The one who is dominated by dogma seeks to dominate others in the same way. As such, they need to have everyone force fit round blocks into square and triangular holes.

Those who would remove the Sufi Path from the context of Islam have no historical or mystical justification for doing so. There is absolutely no evidence that any of the great Sufi masters of the past said that one can pursue this mystical path independently of Islam.

Some of these great mystical teachers have said that not everyone who calls himself or herself a Muslim is a follower of Islam. Furthermore, they have indicated there is more to Islam than just the mechanical and lifeless adherence to a set of exoteric, theological rules.

Unfortunately, there have been some individuals who have taken what some of these teachers have said -- sometimes with pointed humor and irony -- and used such statements in a way that violates the original spirit with which teachings were uttered. People have done this kind of injustice because they have their own axes to grind and agendas to push.

Quite frankly, I have not come across any of these so-called modern versions of the Sufi path which can demonstrate the truth of what they are claiming or maintaining. They assert that what they claim is so, but Truth is not a function of assertion, rather whatever is asserted must be capable of being shown how it accurately reflects, is consistent with, and gives expression to, the Truth.

People who try to impose their own extra-Islamic value system of likes and dislikes onto the Sufi Path cannot prove that what they are saying truly reflects the complete teachings of any of the great Sufi masters of the past or even correctly reflects the very origins of the term "Sufi". In stark contrast, however, anyone who cares to take the time to research matters can easily show that what historically has been known as the Sufi Path is inextricably woven from the fabric of Islam when considered in all of its (islam's) depth, breadth and subtlety.

The burden of proof in this matter is not on those who link the Sufi path to the proper practice of Islam. Rather, the burden of proof is on anyone who would attempt to argue that the Sufi Path is entirely independent of Islam -- although, in so arguing, they may concede, in passing, something to the effect that there could have been a time when, for reasons of historical convenience and circumstance, the Sufi Path may, temporarily, have set up a liaison, of sorts, with the Islamic religious tradition ... but nothing of an a permanent and inherent nature

If these people of 'mysticism by assertion' are not the ones who are being dogmatic, then, let them come forth with their proofs to the contrary of what is being said in the foregoing. Let them demonstrate that their understanding is not merely a matter of "truth" by stipulation.

These would-be Sufi teachers are counting on people to uncritically swallow whatever is being said in this respect. And, indeed, quite a few individuals have accommodated themselves to this hope since many of these latter individuals are all too prepared to accept such stipulations as the gospel truth which cannot, and should not, be questioned simply because these sorts of stipulation fit in with their biases, prejudices, assumptions and so on concerning the Islamic religious tradition.

Someone calling herself or himself a Sufi teacher may offer certain practices and teachings which carry benefit for an individual even though these practices and teachings have, in various ways, been taken out of their original and proper, spiritual, ecological context. Moreover, someone who undertakes these practices or follows these teachings in a sincere fashion may have certain mystical experiences which, seemingly, confirm the truth of what is being said.

What many people fail to understand about the mystical quest is that it is not, ultimately, about having such experiences. The mystical path is about arriving at that destination which allows one to have intimate and permanent insight into the nature of one's essential identity as well as one's unique capacity to serve God as God wishes and not as a function of what we want or don't want.

Only when one is absent from the false self can one be truly present to God. And, only when one is truly present to, with, and for, Divinity, can one's essential identity and unique spiritual capacities be unveiled.

One could have thousands of mystical or mystical-like experiences (not everything of an experientially anomalous nature can be considered mystical) and never be one step closer to the goal of the Sufi path. When one takes initiation with a Sufi shaykh, it is the goal, purpose and destination of the mystical path which must orient the teachings and practices.

A false mystical teacher may help, if God wishes, an individual to take a few steps toward accomplishing the purpose of the mystical quest. But, such a teacher will never be able to transport an individual to the end of the mystical line, no matter how much of what is stated may be true (as far as it goes in its out-of-context manner) in disclosing the nature of different facets of the Truth.

Divinity has established certain spiritual paths for the purpose of helping human beings realize the goal of the mystical quest. These paths are variations on one and the same thing, and, consequently, despite whatever differences may exist from one variation to the next, each of these paths that have been provided by Divinity are, God willing, fully capable of transporting the sincere and committed individual to the desired destination when this person works in conjunction with those who have been, or are, established by Divinity as spiritual guardians of these pathways.

If one does not enter the mystical path through the doorways which have been provided by Divinity -- both with respect to the authenticity of the teacher as well as the authenticity of the Path -- then, one will, sooner or later, begin to spin one's wheels, spiritually speaking. Under these circumstances, the individual has a tendency to mistake circular motion on the horizontal plane of temporality for being spiritual progress in an essential, vertical realm which transcends temporality.

Sweeping dust from one place to another does not make a room clean. Digging many holes does not necessarily permit one to find the spiritual water one is seeking -- irrespective of how welcome one finds the constantly changing venue to be.

The proof of things is, so to speak, in the pudding. This is where choice and freedom come into the picture.

People are free to make mistakes or choose correctly. People are free to misguide others or be themselves misguided. People are free to believe that they are getting on a mystical train which they believe will carry them to a distant destination and not realize that the chosen vehicle is purely local and does not have such destinations on its itinerary or within its capabilities.

Ultimately, the issue is not whether one should, or should not, label some given set of activities as being "Sufi". Ultimately, the issue is whether, or not, what one is engaged in is able, God willing, to help one realize the purpose of life, the nature of one's essential identity and one's unique capacity to love, worship, cherish, know, reflect, and serve Divinity.

Whatever choices an individual makes in this respect has a lot riding on them. This is so precisely because there is falsehood and error, delusion and distortion, and so on.

Not every choice takes one closer to the Truth. Not every choice leads to the same destination. Not every choice will help one, God willing, to work toward realizing essential human possibility.

If one could ascertain the truth of these matters before hand, there would be no need for a mystical path, a spiritual teacher, or Divine guidance. But, in reality, we are not always able to distinguish the true from the false.

We need help in these matters. Our choice of who we want to help us makes all the difference in the world -- both with respect to this present world, as well as in relation to the next world.